Ham and the Jitney Bus (1915)

• 44%
• 1915

Hungry and broken, Ham and Bud sit themselves down on a curbstone, while pondering upon ways and means of landing a meal. Both see a wallet lying on the sidewalk. With one accord they make a grab for it. The wallet contains $20. About to buy a feed Bud sees an auto, of the vintage of 1492, on sale for $15. He and Ham buy the machine and decide to operate a five-cent bus. But business is bad. An idea strikes Ham. He disguises himself in feminine clothes, hoping that his beauty and flirtatious habits will attract patrons. But men steer clear of the bus. In desperation, Ham bodily seizes several individuals and terrorizes them into patronizing his auto. The bus service conducted by Ham and Bud is calculated to give gray hairs to every one of their passengers. The automobile does just as it pleases, backing up a hill at sixty miles an hour, or spinning like a pinwheel whenever it tires of running on a straight line. Despite Ham's efforts, the bus winds up by plowing through a sea of mud and dumping the passengers. When the latter finally climb to dry ground they make a dash for Ham and Bud. The two try to speed up their machine, but it blows up. When they return from their trip skyward their enraged pursuers are just a few yards away. Ham and Bud take no chances. A well nearby offers the only place of concealment. With one accord they dive head first into the icy water.